The Lehigh Valley IronPigs (6-2) took on the Durham Bulls (2-6) in game five on Saturday night from Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Ryan Cusick was on the mound for Lehigh Valley against Chase Solesky of Durham.
In the bottom of the first inning, Durham had runners on second and third base when right fielder Justyn-Henry Malloy grounded out to third baseman Garrett Stubbs. He threw the ball to first baseman Caleb Ricketts, but Raynel Delgado scored to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead with two outs.
Durham catcher Blake Sabol hit an RBI double to right field. Jacob Melton scored for a 2-0 lead. Ryan Cusick struck out Logan Davidson to end the inning.
At the top of the second inning, Lehigh Valley center fielder Pedro Leon worked a four-pitch walk. Third baseman Garrett Stubbs was next. He hit Solesky’s curveball for a two-run home run to the corner of right field to tie the game 2-2. It was Stubbs’s second home run of the season. Lehigh Valley did not add any more runs in the inning.
At the top of the third inning, Lehigh Valley first baseman Caleb Ricketts hit a single with one out. Right fielder Bryan De La Cruz was up next. He hit Solesky’s high four-seam fastball for a two-run home run at 413 feet to left field to give the IronPigs a 4-2 lead.
It was Cruz’s third home run of the season, and the exit velocity off the bat was 103.5 mph. Lehigh Valley third baseman Garrett Stubbs walked with two outs before designated hitter Liover Peguero grounded out to third base for the final out of the inning.
Lehigh Valley starter Ryan Cusick pitched four innings, allowing two hits, two runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts, throwing 73 pitches, of which 41 were strikes.
Andrew Walling was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley in the bottom of the fifth inning. He loaded the bases before walking Logan Davidson. Lehigh Valley now led Durham 4-3. Walling allowed a hit, four runs, three walks, and two strikeouts, throwing 24 pitches, of which 11 were strikes.
Griff McGarry was the new pitcher for Lehigh Valley. Durham left fielder Cooper Bowman hit a two-run RBI single to center field. Jacob Melton and Blake Sabol scored to give the Bulls a 5-4 lead. Two batters later, the bases were again loaded when McGarry hit Carlos Colmenarez. The Bulls extended their lead to 6-4. Then, McGarry walked Raynel Delgado, and it was now 7-4. McGarry’s struggles continued when he walked Gavin Lux and Jacob Melton for a 9-4 lead.
That was it for McGarry. He was replaced by Nolan Hoffman. He got Justyn-Henry Malloy to ground out to third baseman Garrett Stubbs to finally end the inning. McGarry allowed one hit, three runs, and four walks, throwing 27 pitches, of which six were strikes.
Orion Kerkering and Trevor Richards also saw action from the bullpen for Lehigh Valley. They combined to pitch three innings, allowing one hit and five strikeouts.
At the top of the ninth inning, Lehigh Valley had runners on first and second base when center fielder Pedro Leon hit a two-run RBI triple to right field. Christian Cairo and Bryan De La Cruz scored. The IronPigs trailed the Bulls 9-6. Next, a passed ball by Durham catcher Blake Sabol allowed Leon to score. The IronPigs now trailed the Bulls 9-7.
Lehigh Valley’s comeback attempt fell short, and the IronPigs lost to the Durham Bulls by the final score of 9-7. They finished the night with eight hits, went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position, and left 10 men on base.
Lehigh Valley third baseman Garrett Stubbs went 3 for 3 with a double, a home run, a single, two walks, a stolen base, and two RBIs. Bryan De La Cruz went 1 for 4 with a home run, a walk, and two RBIs. The loss went to Lehigh Valley pitcher Andrew Walling, and the win went to Durham pitcher Cam Booser.
The IronPigs and Bulls conclude the six-game series on Sunday at 5:05 pm on the MLB App. Tucker Davidson (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will be on the mound for Lehigh Valley against K.C. Hunt (0-1, 11.57 ERA).
